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Social media data are transforming sustainability science. However, challenges from restrictions in data accessibility and ethical concerns regarding potential data misuse have threatened this nascent field. Here, we review the literature on the use of social media data in environmental and sustainability research. We find that they can play a novel and irreplaceable role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals by allowing a nuanced understanding of human-nature interactions at scale, observing the dynamics of so-cial-ecological change, and investigating the co-construction of nature values. We reveal threats to data ac-cess and highlight scientific responsibility to address trade-offs between research transparency and privacy protection, while promoting inclusivity. This contributes to a wider societal debate of social media data for sustainability science and for the common good.

The values of goods and services provided by wetland ecosystems are examined through a meta-analysis of an expanded database of wetland value estimates and with a focus on human-made wetlands. This study extends and improves upon previous meta-analyses of the wetland valuation literature in terms of the number of observations, geographical coverage, wetland class and integrity, and the measurement of the effects of scarcity and anthropogenic pressure. We find that water quality improvement, nonconsumptive recreation, and provision of natural habitat and biodiversity are highly valued services. Substitution effects are observed through the negative correlation between values and abundance of other wetlands. Wetland values are found to increase with anthropogenic pressure. An extended metaregression model with cross effects shows that the valuation of specific services varies with the type of wetland producing them. Human-made wetlands are highly valued for biodiversity enhancement, water quality improvement, and flood control.

The welfare dimension of the recreational services provided by global coastal ecosystems is examined through a meta-analytical regression-based valuation approach. First, we construct a global, state-of-the-art database of stated and revealed preference estimates on coastal recreation, which includes also the grey literature and with the latest entry updated to February 2010. Second, the profile of each of the 253 observations of our dataset, which correspond to individual value estimates, was further enriched with characteristics of the built coastal environment (site accessibility, anthropogenic pressure, level of human development), characteristics of the natural coastal environment (presence of protected area, type of ecosystem, and marine biodiversity richness), geo-climatic factors (temperature and precipitation), as well as sociopolitical characteristics, such as the political stability index. In this context, the proposed meta-analytical valuation exercise explores the spatially explicit dimension of the values building upon Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. GIS are relied upon for the spatial characterization of the valued ecosystems, the determination of the role of spatially explicit variables in the meta analytical value transfer model, as well as for the value transfer exercise. The GIS characterization is observed to be extremely significant in explaining the spatial diversity of the estimates values and underlying explanatory factors. The resulting integrated valuation framework constitutes a worldwide première and it results in the first global map of the recreational value of coastal ecosystems. We argue that the presented global map may play an important role in studying the prioritization for the conservation of coastal areas from a social perspective.

The approach of using existing data on economic values of local ecosystem services for an assessment of these values at a larger geographical scale can be called 'scaling up'. In a scaling-up exercise, economic values from a particular study site are transferred to another geographical setting, for instance to the regional, national or global scale. This paper proposes a methodology for scaling up ecosystem service values to a European level, assesses the availability of data for conducting this method, and illustrates the procedure with a case study on wetland values. The proposed methodology makes use of meta-analysis to produce a value function that is subsequently applied to individual European wetland sites. Site-specific, study-specific and context-specific variables are used to define a price vector that captures differences between sites and over time. The proposed method is shown to be practicable and to produce reasonably reliable aggregate value estimates.

The role of economic analysis in guiding the sustainable development of estuarine and coastal ecosystems is investigated based on a comprehensive review of the literature on the valuation of the recreation, cultural and aesthetic services. The implications of the findings for the sustainable management of coral reefs, Marine Protected Areas, and Small Island Developing States are discussed. Finally, the potential of meta-analytical benefit transfer and scaling up of values at various aggregation levels is demonstrated in the context of coastal tourism and recreation in Europe. The results of the study support the conclusion that the non-material values provided by coastal and estuarine ecosystems in terms of recreational, cultural and aesthetic services represent a substantial component of human well-being.

The rationale for conservation and creation of wetlands stems from the recognition of both their ecological and economic values. This paper examines the welfare impacts of goods and services provided by wetlands. We collected 385 estimates of the economic value of 181 natural and man-made wetlands from 167 studies worldwide. The resulting database is less biased towards North America than previous reviews of the literature. The relative importance of characteristics of the valuation study, of the wetland site, and of the socio-economic and geographical context is estimated by means of a meta-regression analysis of wetland values. Provision of amenities, flood control and storm buffering, and water quality improvement are the most highly valued wetland services. The relevance of the socio-economic and geographical context clearly emerges from the analysis and, in particular, the proximity to other wetland sites is negatively correlated with valuations. An analysis of the effect of environmental stress on wetland value shows that the latter increases with stress from human development activities and uses. In addition to the basic meta-regression model, the influence of authorship effects and of the geographic regions is examined by means of a multi-level approach. A second extended meta-regression model including cross-effects shows that the valuations of specific services vary according to the type of wetland producing them.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2022-04-12T22:04:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Brenno Versolatto.pdf: 4258019 bytes, checksum: 9616a86198185ee8328de5fe948aa847 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-12T22:04:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Brenno Versolatto.pdf: 4258019 bytes, checksum: 9616a86198185ee8328de5fe948aa847 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2022-02-24 Os gabiões são amplamente utilizados para revestimento hidráulico de canal devido ao seu baixo custo de implantação e velocidade construtiva. No entanto, esses gabiões são geralmente preenchidos com materiais naturais como rochas. Esses gabiões, na maioria dos casos, não são utilizados para fins estruturais, portanto, a utilização de pedras para fins de enchimento não é estritamente necessária e poderia ser substituída por outros materiais. A construção civil é responsável pela geração de grandes quantidades de resíduos sólidos. Muitos autores relatam que os resíduos de construção e demolição correspondem a 50-70% do volume de todos os resíduos sólidos urbanos gerados todos os dias. Na maioria dos casos, esses resíduos estão sendo despejados em áreas impróprias, aterros ilegais e margens de rios. A gestão inadequada dos resíduos de construção e demolição (RCD) afeta a saúde pública e causa a deterioração das regiões urbanas. Muitos pesquisadores estão estudando a reciclagem como uma ferramenta essencial para a gestão do RCD em obras de construção civil. A reciclagem e reuso do RCD permite reduzir os custos de aquisição de matérias-primas e transporte para aterros sanitários adequados. A reciclagem também reduz as emissões de gases de efeito estufa. Este projeto propõe um estudo técnico do uso do RCD como material de enchimento para gabiões. Esta pesquisa vai identificar a melhor solução para o preenchimento de gabiões com base em considerações de sustentabilidade. O desenvolvimento de técnicas que reduzam a quantidade de resíduos sólidos e seus impactos ambientais é crucial, especialmente considerando os significativos efeitos globais da poluição do setor da construção civil. Foram realizados testes laboratoriais para obter características físicas e hidraulicas de engenharia do RCD e pedra natural, como durabilidade e absorção, necessários para o dimensionamento de gabião. Adicionalmente, uma avaliação econômica foi realizada para se verificar os custos envolvidos na troca de recursos naturais por RCD no preenchimento de gabião. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o RCD atendeu aos requisitos de normas técnicas e este possui uma viabilidade econômica satisfatória em comparação a pedra natural. Due to their low implantation costs and constructive speed, gabions are commonly used for hydraulic channel linings. However, these gabions are filled with natural materials like rocks. In most cases, these gabions are not used for structural purposes, so the use of rocks for filling them is unnecessary and could be substituted by other materials. Civil construction is responsible for generating large amounts of solid wastes. Many authors notice that the construction and demolition wastes can range 50 to 70% urban solid waste total amount generation worldwide. In some situations, these wastes are usually dumped in improper areas, illegal landfills, and riverbanks. The improper management of construction and demolition wastes (C&DW) affects public health and causes the deterioration of urban areas. Many researchers have been studying recycling, and reuse as essential tools for C&DW management in civil construction works. C&DW recycling and reusing generally allow purchasing cost reduction and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Facing it, this research is focused on the technical study of C&DW using for gabion filling, pointing out this material as a technical solution concerning sustainability aspects. Solid waste reduction techniques are crucial, especially when the environmental impacts caused by buildings constructions are brought to light. To obtain the necessary data for further analysis, laboratory tests were performed to obtain C&DW and natural rock physical and hydraulic characteristics such as durability and water absorption, necessary for gabion designs. In addition, an economic assessment was performed to assess the purchasing costs for the substitution of rocks for C&DW for gabion filling. The obtained data and the performed analysis showed that the studied C&DW sample met the technical standards and can be used as gabion filling material. The economic assessment brought to light the economic advantages and low costs of substituting rocks for C&DW for gabions filling.